PARTNERSHIP FOR TOURISM. Renren Reyes (left), chief executive officer of G-Xchange, Inc., operator of the digital finance app GCash, and Philippine Airlines president and COO Capt. Stanley Ng during the announcement of planned seat sales exclusive to GCash users at the GCash Corporate Office in Bonifacio Global City on Wednesday (Nov. 8, 2023). The weekend seat sales and other promotions will begin on Nov. 18 and will run until January 2024 on the PAL website and later through the GLife app by December. (PNA photo by Raymond Carl Dela Cruz)
MANILA – The Philippine Airlines (PAL) and digital banking app GCash on Wednesday announced a partnership to offer its customers “seat sales” and different promos every weekend beginning Nov. 18, aimed at boosting local tourism as well as in some Asian destinations.
In a statement, GCash said the partnership with PAL aims to “support and aid the comeback of the travel industry” by offering discounted flight promotions or seat sales exclusive to GCash users in addition to allowing flexible payment options such as installment or credit.
“This comes just in time for the holiday season when families, friends, and companies are looking for the best deals for their holiday plans and trips,” it said.
GCash said the local travel industry has been thriving given the easing of travel restrictions, “pent-up demand for travel” and economic growth.
“Philippine Airlines for its part has posted over 70 percent growth compared to last year, making it a significant key partner in driving growth for the travel category,” it said.
The promotion will be available to some of the most famous tourist spots in the Philippines, such as Palawan, Boracay, Cebu, as well as “all of Southeast Asia” and some other Asian destinations.
It will run during specific weekends beginning Nov. 18 until January 2024, with the actual travel period extending from the day of the booking until the end of 2024.
Initially, the promo will be available when customers book a flight through the PAL website and select GCash as their mode of payment.
During Wednesday's signing of a memorandum of agreement (MOA) between the two companies, G-Xchange, Inc. (GCash) chief executive officer Renren Reyes said booking flights and seat sales will also be available on GLife app within the GCash mobile app by December.
Once available, he said, qualified GCash users will then be able to use the app’s several payment options such as “GCredit” and “GGives” which allow for installment or deferred payment schemes.
“When you pay with GGives, it's basically paid in full, it's buy now, pay later,” Reyes said.
Aside from easing transactions and discounted prices, he assured that GCash prioritizes the security of its users.
Some security features, Reyes said, include utilizing Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud service for secure hosting, working with data security company Appdome to further secure the GCash app, as well as education campaigns to help inform its users on online and digital security.
“We have the #GSafeTayo campaign where we educate our consumers on how to protect themselves from phishing scams and other bad actors,” he said. (PNA)
